Taekwondo Pontypridd

As Taekwondo has fairly high physical demands, it is perhaps more suited to the younger generation in Pontypridd. That's not to say that older people can't participate in this activity, but just that there might be other martial arts that are more suitable for the less agile among us. Tai Chi would be a perfect illustration.

Taekwondo is one of the more recently developed of the martial arts, with its root beginnings in Korea, South-East Asia in 1945. A number of Korean martial artists in Seoul established some schools which they called "kwans", merging a variety of martial arts practices. Taekwondo, which it eventually became known as, primarily consists of kicking manoeuvres, especially jumping/turning kicks, rapid kicking techniques and head kicks.

The number of Taekwondo enthusiasts globally, now exceeds sixty million. Signing up for a local Taekwondo club or class in Pontypridd is a good way to get involved with this activity which is now an Olympic sport. Whilst reaching Olympic standard may be beyond your capabilities, there isn't any reason why you can't become a Taekwondo master.

It appears that the most interesting element of Taekwondo is self-defence. This is no great surprise when you take into account the ever rising levels of violence seen in town centres these days. However, exercising self-restraint and a respect for others goes hand in hand with Taekwondo's self-defence principles.

Your newly mastered Taekwondo skills will more than likely never have to be tried and tested outside of an organized Taekwondo class, however knowing that you've got them will instill you with confidence.

Your First Lesson

If you've never done Taekwondo previously, you may be a little concerned as to what should be expected on your very first lesson. This will vary from club to club but will normally involve some or all of the following. A 15-20 minute warm up to increase heart rate and loosen muscles, some practical training involving learning some kicks, stances, blocks and hand attacks, discovering a few Poomse (forms), an introduction to sparring which will include movement, attack timing and timing, and lastly a warm down to relax and stretch tired muscles.

The governing official body for Taekwondo in the United Kingdom is British Taekwondo and any person wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Pontypridd must also register with British Taekwondo. By going to the official British Taekwondo website you will be able to obtain facts about health and safety, safeguarding and equality, referees and coaching, coaching courses, beginning a new club, first aid, news, members and clubs, events, and many more Taekwondo related facts.

Benefits to be Gained From Taekwondo

You will no doubt be fascinated to understand exactly what type of benefits may be achieved by taking part in Pontypridd Taekwondo classes and participating fully in its activities. You can expect to: Beef up confidence by inspiring you to succeed and to take control of your life, Greater discipline by extensively training your body and mind in the tactics and principles of Taekwondo, Increase concentration and self-esteem by maximizing your mental and physical powers, Toughen up your mind and body via enhanced physical coordination and mental discipline, Lower anxiety and stress by doing deep breathing exercises, Learn self-defence strategies by helping you to identify instances in which self-defence could be required, and enabling you to turn these kinds of situations to your advantage, Improve flexibility, agility and stamina by means of extreme cardiovascular work-outs.

Taekwondo Belts

In Taekwondo there's not really any standardization in relation to belts and ranking. It's all determined by which style you are considering, as there are so many different Taekwondo styles. They are however, generally separated into 2 groupings "junior" or "colour" belts and "senior" or "black" belts. The colour/junior ranks range from white to red, with from eight to twelve rankings, whilst the black/senior belts generally have nine grades.

Taekwondo Safety Gear

Competitions governed by British Taekwondo guidelines demand that certain pieces of protective equipment be worn, these include things like: blue/red body armour, a blue or red head protector, a groin guard, a mouth protector, hand protectors, shin protectors and forearm protectors. This is a must due to the powerful kicking attacks being employed.